try

try is a command-line tool designed to let users inspect the effects of a command before making changes to their live system. It leverages Linux's namespaces and the overlayfs union filesystem to create a sandbox environment where commands can be executed safely. The primary purpose of try is to provide a preview of what a command will do, allowing users to decide whether to commit the changes or not.

The tool is particularly useful for system administrators and developers who want to test commands without risking the integrity of their live environments. try is a prototype and not a full sandbox, so it should only be used with trusted commands, as it does not restrict network calls.

To get started with try, users need several dependencies, including util-linux, attr, pandoc, and autoconf. The tool supports various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Arch, Alpine, Rocky, and SteamOS, but it requires Linux kernel version 5.11 or higher for overlayfs functionality in a user namespace.

Installation can be done in three ways: by downloading the script, cloning the repository, or using a source distribution. Arch Linux users can also install try from the AUR. Once installed, try can be used to execute commands in a sandbox, inspect the changes, and decide whether to commit them.

For example, running try pip3 install libdash will install the package in a sandbox and prompt the user to commit the changes. Users can also pre-execute commands and commit later, specify their own overlay directories, or merge multiple directories.

Known issues include limitations with user/group interactions and shell quoting. The tool is licensed under the MIT License and is actively maintained with regular updates and improvements.